Ripples in The Ocean
by Aedrie
Summary: Petunia and Vernon Dursley freaked when they found a baby with a sealed letter from Hogwarts on their doorstep. The Dursley's get sick of Harry and send him to an orphanage in London; on his way to a conference meeting, a week after Halloween. The Dursleys want nothing to do with freaks. Harry has been given hope. After three years of living in an orphanage, he finds a new family.
1. Chapter 1: A Spark of Hope

Ripples in the Ocean

Chapter 1: A Spark of Hope

**I do not own the world of Harry Potter. All the characters and the plot belong to J.K. Rowling. It's just nice to read/write about what could've happened. We have enjoyed the series J.K., now it's time for us to expand our imagination. **

**HP is one of my favorite childhood book series.**

_Well this is my first story! Don't get angry at me if I make a mistake. Just tell me, I can always improve. I've been reading fanfiction since about 2008. Spotting errors and enjoying the stories people have created, inspired me. I have finally begun writing so that I can improve my writing and editing skills. I'll take it slow, yet when I get to five stories I can become a beta. Books have always been my favorite past time and my retreat from everyday life. There's nothing like imagination!_

_I hope to become a Psychologist and an author once I have finished my schooling. Please leave reviews and give me some tips! I also have a whole word document devoted to other story ideas. (So at some point I'll get more stories started)_

_I'll firstly need tips in how to add author notes (like before and after) _

He tensed up, reminded of screams and green light. The wailing continued to ensue; unfortunately the nursery was situated near his room. Rising up from his bed, the sheets fell down in an array of colors. His movement was quick; yet also graceful.

Muffled footsteps were overpowered by the surrounding noises of the orphanage. Walking down, he threw on a cloak over his creased shirt. Wind blew through the battered windows, resulting in an eternal chill. Outside a cat was wailing, getting on his nerves. A hissing noise escaped his lips, muscles tensing.

Shaky breaths were audible behind him, the smell of fear saturating the air. Quickly he turned round, straight into a crouch. Standing there was his best friend, her face frozen and her eyes wide. She slowly smiled, recovering from the shock. She entered a defensive stance, talons sharp.

"Come on you mutt. We'll be late to the ceremony Harry", she laughed. Harry frowned; he may never see his friend again after today. Taking her hand, they exited the orphanage doors together.

Outside the wind was harsh and tasted of salt. Children were playing on the steps and the grass of the orphanage. Their laughter and joy was lost on Harry. Three boys made their way up to him, hands tightened into fists. Harry's face was distorted by the sneer that formed. The trio stopped before him, ready to taunt him again.

"Hey freak, just go away, where you're actually wanted," one of them taunted. Harry could feel tears welling up in his eyes. His hands dug at his shorts, in anguish.

The boys continued to jibe at him, in mockery. Soon, he couldn't bear. The hairs on his back rose, he could feel it again. Like some unknown force from his chest was trying to get out.

'**Oh no, not again!'** he thought. One of the boys suddenly fell to the ground, his legs stuck together. The other two shouted in indignation, confused in what had conspired. The leader, Samuel; took a step forward and started to run at him. Giving a shout of fright, Harry ran towards the left of the building. The chase was on!

Harry looked behind him, he could hear panting. He himself was forcing the air to pass his lungs, slowly becoming exhausted from the exertion**. 'I really need to exercise more'**, he thought. Thank goodness the woods were dense here; the smoke from London could not penetrate this deep into the forest.

He noticed a thin mist traveling across the ground. **'What is this? It's not even winter!'** he thought.

At one point he had to stop and catch his breath. Harry could feel his stomach groan. **'They even give me a full serving. What's wrong them?' **he wondered. Harry could hear footsteps; they were closer now; not nearly as loud as before.

Turning around he spotted Samuel and David. Oh boy, they wanted to get him cornered. Leaning against a tree trunk, he closed his eyes and dreaded the worse.

Suddenly he heard a pop. A squeezing feel followed, like he was being suffocated by a rogue vacuum cleaner. Opening an eye, his jaw dropped by what awaited him.

He was on the roof again! Dear God! The staff was going to have a fright. Harry imagined that Mrs. Kerman was going to whack him with her walking stick again.

Harry was always getting in trouble. If he wasn't being pick on, he was appearing on the roof or making random things float.

Once he remembered his growing back the morning after all the children were required to get bowler hat cuts. Boy, did he get it coming! They only fed him mashed potatoes for a week!

Hours seemed to pass. The sun; once high in the sky, was now dipping beyond the horizon.

He opened his eyes, unable to pierce through the darkness edged around his vision. Harry began to notice lights in the forest, reflecting on the trees. After a few minutes, he began hearing the voices.

"Stupid boy; stop getting lost and wasting my time, come here this instant!" someone yelled.

Harry sighs in relief, he knew that voice anywhere. It was Mrs. Kerman. Dangling his feet over the roof, he began shouting. "I'm over here Mrs. Kerman, get me down please!"

The search party grew nearer, Mrs. Kerman in the lead. "Boy, this is the last time. If you do this again, no one will adopt you!" she screamed.

Crying, Harry waited for them to take out the ladder. Ever since he started appearing on the roof, they had a ladder on either side of the building now.

Turning his back to the staff, he descended down the ladder. One of the nurses came and enveloped him in a hug. It was his nurse, Leslie. Taking her hand, they followed the others headed inside.

The orphanage was warm, a blessing from the cold outside. Children were still lined up for the evening meal. Looked like spaghetti and green beans. Letting go of Leslie's hand, he joined the shortest line.

Sitting down at the long table, he tore off part of the garlic bread. Sticking it in his mouth, he began to look around the room.

On the staff table, a family sat behind the table covered in food. There was a man with brown hair, a woman with blond hair, and a girl about his age. Eating is food for a few minutes; he soon begins to grow tired. Looking back, he notices the girl staring at him.

Yawning, he stands up and brings his plate to a pile of dirty plates. Two lines were formed at the doors of the dining hall. Harry joined the left side and followed the line of boys through to he dorms.

Getting ready for bed, his eyes begin to drop. A few minutes before lights, Leslie arrived. "Has something happened? He asks her.

Leslie smiles at him kindly. "No dear, a family came today, looking for a boy your age. You'll be meeting them tomorrow."

Harry eyebrows rise in concentration, thinking about this.

"Why would anyone want to adopt me", he wonders out loud.

Leslie's eyes tear, her hand reaches out and takes his small hand in hers.

"Don't say that Harry, you're a unique boy. They especially wanted to meet you; we explained the strange things that happen to you. Their little girl has had some of the same things happen to her. I wanted to wish you luck, if they adopt you, I'll give you a go away gift."

Harry smiles at Leslie, his eyes wide and brimming with tears. "Maybe I'll finally have the family I always wanted. Tomorrow brings a new day," Harry whispers. Having thoughts of hope.


	2. Chapter 2: New Beginnings

Update:

Sorry for the wait! Was about to go on holidays before I uploaded the first chapter. So I had things going on with traveling overseas. I also missed a week of school. So fortunately I'm only doing a few things at a time. I have two journal entries and a poem to do. I also have a report for Science.

If I concentrate on my homework it'll just take be a couple hours. I think I can manage to get one chapter each for both of my stories. Then I'll try getting a second and third done for Ripples in The Ocean.

This update will only be here until I get the next chapter published. I'll replace the update with the chapter.

Hang in there! I am continuing both stories. I just need to try catching up with school and get into publishing a chapter or two each week. Wish me luck!

You'll be in store for humor, amazing plot twists, at least two new characters and much more! I do not own the Harry Potter universe but I can play with the characters and the events.

!Warning!: Memories of abuse and malnourishment

_Chapter 2: New Beginnings_

Harry woke up early the next morning. He was eager to make an impression on the family he saw last night. He put on his clothes and made an effort to flatten his unruly hair. It was a lost cause. Harry decided to pack his few belongings.

Hopefully he would be leaving by the end of the day. He two pairs of clothes and placed Mrs. Teddy on top of the bed. The others had already left for breakfast. Harry sighed and waited for Leslie to take him to the front office. Leslie opened the door and smiled at him. She gave him a hug before leading him down the corridors.

The family from last night was sitting at Mrs. Kerman's desk. The girl sat on her father's lap and kept staring at Harry. Soon Harry blushed and looked down at his feet.

Mrs. Kerman can in after a few minutes and shuffled some papers. "We can talk about Adoption now or would you like to meet the boy?" She asked them.

The Lady whispered in the man's ear before reaching an agreement. "How about Richard and I discuss adoption while the children talk to each other." She proposed. Mrs. Kerman nodded her head and shooed the children away with her hand.

The girl followed harry, carrying a stuffed lion in her hands. He led her to the room next door. Toys were scattered across the carpet and the glass wall was a one way mirror. Harry sat down and smiled at her politely. "I'm Harry what's your name?" he asked her.

The girl squeezed the lion closer. "Hello Harry, I'm Hermione. I've never had a sibling before." Hermione replied.

Harry smiled and started building lego towers. "I lived with my cousin and he was very mean. Are siblings supposed to be the same?" he wondered out loud. Hermione looked at him confused. Her lego tower was already higher than his.

"Siblings should protect each other. I read it in a book". Hermione stated.

The children played with the legos for a few minutes. Yelling from the office broke the silence. Hermione jumped in the air. Harry laughed at her. "What are they arguing about Harry?" She questioned. Harry's grin disappeared and he lowered his head.

"They are talking about my Aunt's family. I used to live with them before they couldn't stand me anymore. I lived there until I was six." Harry told her. Hermione looked shocked.

"How did they treat you Harry? Were they cruel to you?" Hermione whispered. Harry started tearing up and Hermione pulled him into a hug.

Harry sniffed and his arms tightened around her. "They made me live in the cupboard. I was like a slave." He cried. Hermione patted his back soothingly.

"They sound so evil! What else did they do?" She asked. Harry was unable to talk, overcome with sadness.

!Warning!

"Vernon used to have parties. Petunia made me cook the dinner and locked me up until after everyone had eaten. Vernon would open the door and yank me out into the living room. They played a few rounds of strip poker. The winner had a go at me before sharing." Harry confessed.

!Warning! over

Hermione became upset, stood up and screamed: "How dare they do that! I'm telling my parents!" The lego towers suddenly exploded and the air was filled with parts. Hermione collapsed on the ground and cried with Harry.

Time passed and soon a knock came from the door. Leslie woke the pair and escorted them back to the office. Richard was frowning and looking over the papers and Diana was beaming at Harry. "Come here son," she laughed. Harry's eyes widened and he ran straight into Diana's open arms.

Mrs. Kerman let out a rare smile and sighed. "Harry, we've been watching you through the wall. The Granger's instantly asked to sign the adoption papers once you two fell asleep. We all agree that you should have a loving family." She began, "I've called children's services because you never opened up to what happened at the Dursley's." Mrs. Kerman choked up at this point.

"Tomorrow morning you're scheduled to appear in court for a custody battle. The Dursley's have been notified but I believe we will have enough evidence to charge them with abuse of a minor." She finished.

While harry processed the news, Hermione fisted the air and began chanting. "I have a sibling, I have a sibling." Diana smiled at her daughter and shook her head.

"Not yet dear." She whispered.

On the way out, Harry's friend, Silvia gave Harry a hug goodbye. She was his only friend and had also come from an abusive family. They had comforted each other when the other had nightmares, though Silvia wasn't forthcoming with her past.

Leslie gave him his bag of possessions and a bag of candy. "Here's some candy because you are so sweet and will bring a new pair of teeth to the Grangers. I hear they are Dentists. So this might be your last time to defile your teeth!" She told him, laughing.

Harry walked through the door and gave a wave. The Granger's had a nice 1980 Ford Fiesta. Richard grinned at him, "That car is as old as you. Be careful in it. Getting a better car soon." He bragged.

This would be the last time Harry saw the orphanage. He could see the bullies making their way towards him and made a run for the car. He wished they would go away.

With the road ahead of him, he would never know that his childhood bullies had suddenly appeared on the orphanage's roof…

So with my original plan this chapter would have been longer. I came up with an evil plot twist and so I've added some things. Some of chapter 3 was already written before I decided to shorten this chapter. Chapter three will be longer.

Thanks for the reviews! Glad you are interested in reading the story. Sorry for not updating sooner.

Will try to get both chapter 3 and four up soon. Don't think I'll get time for updating The Late Bloomer until Monday.


	3. Chapter 3: The Embrace

Spent about a minute looking at the two daddy long legs on the high window. So took me a bit to come up with a suitable title… Yikes, one just moved. Now I'm wondering what I should do with the Weasley's…. Get away from it you fly! Don't go towards the second one! Okay came up with the title. Hope its creative enough. Thank you fly for the idea! So I have some time to write. I do admit that the first 3 chapters will not be as good as the next 7 chapters…

Info on the Arch angels chosen: .

_Chapter 3: The Embrace _

The car ride to the Granger's manor was uneventful. Hermione had exchanged her lion and was now reading a book. Diana was in a reflective silence, though occasionally she'd cry or start grinning. Harry had Mrs. Teddy in his arms and was looking out the window. Richard would ask him questions every few minutes, though he mainly paid attention to the road.

"Watch out Richard, that car just turned the corner! You could've crashed!" Diana screamed. Richard turned sharply and a car went by, going over the speed limit.

"That driver is the one at fault, not me!" He yelled, fully panicked.

"You were still recklessly driving! You should pay more attention to the road!" Diana advised him.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. At one point they past a primary school and Diana pointed it out.

Diana turned and talked to Harry in the back seat. "That's where Hermione goes to school. She is in fourth grade. If we become your legal guardians we hope to enrol you in school.

Harry was very excited about this information. He could go to a real school for the first time!

The Ford pulled up into a drive way with floral decorating the front lawn. The house was blue and white and was very grand. Harry stepped out of the car, amazed at his new home. He hoped that The Grangers would become his new parents tomorrow.

Richard carried Harry's bag inside. Diana went into the kitchen to reheat last night's dinner and prepare salad.

This left Hermione to show Harry the house and where he'd be staying. "We've decorated the rooms with themes. The open spaced rooms are holidays. The greenhouse has stained glass of the four seasons." She described.

My parents visited Buckingham Palace, so they got asked my aunt to paint the bathrooms in likeness of the gardens. They took lots of photos. The bedrooms are painted based on our favourite scenery or places." Hermione informed him, in a bossy tone.

Hermione led Harry into the Living room. The room was painted in red and greens. Garland was painted around the edges; a little village was on one of the walls. On another wall was a workshop and a ribbon was situated just above a television. The third wall had a picture of Father Christmas and a fireplace. It took Harry awhile to realize the fireplace was real.

What truly was breathtaking was the Muriel on the ceiling. Seven Arch angels were surrounded by the five elements, flowers, a beach, a giant torch and lightning. The angels Gabriel, Chamuel, Michael, Jophiel, Ariel, Raphael and Uriel were adorned with spirit, which was depicted as purple waves. The centre had the night sky and the famous stars and star signs.

Hermione then dragged him down the corridor, which was painted in reds. Little cupids fluttering around and family pictures decorated the walls. Harry remembered the rare lessons he had and blushed. He stopped at one of the bathrooms and liked the floral garden painted on all four walls.

In the kitchen they saw Diana putting the finishing touches for Lunch. The kitchen had a Thanksgiving theme. The Mayflower was arriving into the new world. On the ship Diana's great, great aunt waved at them. In the forest, the Native Americans watched the newcomers. On one wall the Pilgrims were chasing roasted turkey and Harry let out a laugh when he saw them.

Hermione showed him the bedrooms last. The master bedroom had land marks of the adult's favourite places: The countryside of Venice, Grand Canyon; the ruins of Rome and the Amazon Forest. The Eiffel Tower was in silhouette with the sunset in Paris.

The Nursery was next door and could've been Easter. On one wall, a great bolt of black paint covered a baby. Hermione bit her lip and explained to a confused Harry. "Mum went off her rocker when the doctor told her that she might not be able to conceive more children." Hermione gripped his hand, eager the leave the nursery.

The next room looked like Story World. "This is my room, all of my favourite books and characters." Hermione declared. Aslan from Narnia crouched in one corner and in another Alice followed the rabbit down the hole. Pip was spying on Estella on one side of the room and The Mad Hatter Tea Party was on the other side.

Finally, they arrived at a plain room. The walls were painted light blue and nothing filled the empty space on the walls. "This is your room Harry; mum says we can paint it on the weekend. If everything goes well at court you can come up with the theme yourself!" she explained.

"Come down kids! Lunch is ready!" Diana called from downstairs. The children ran down the steps and raced each other to the Dining room.

On the table was Caesar salad, turkey sandwiches, fruit salad and left over Chinese food.

Richard laughed when he saw the meal. "This is an odd combination!" he exclaimed.

At one o' clock, Diana led the children to the park. Richard stayed home to go over the tax forms for their practice.

Harry went straight for the swings while Hermione went to play on the wheel.

Swinging up high, Harry could see Hermione on the wheel. A boy came up to her and started calling her names. "Buck tooth, Buck tooth!" the boy japed at her. Harry couldn't stand the boy. _'How dare he pick on her?'_ Harry thought.

Harry pushed off the swing and didn't notice lightly landing on his feet. Going into a sprint he ran up to the bully. "Get away from Mione, you bully!" he yelled.

A sudden wind knocks the bully down on his back. Harry takes that time to move Hermione away from the wheel and hug her. They were covered in a very faint light. Diana arrived to see what was wrong and the glow faded.

On the way back to the house, Harry was holding Hermione's hand. "I always get bullied at school." She told him. Harry just nodded his head and gave her hand a squeeze.

"I'll protect no matter what happens Mione." He promised her. Their hands glowed blue for a few seconds.

~Time skip~

That night Harry unpacked his belonging into the drawers. Someone knocked on the door. Letting out a yawn, he went to open the door.

Diana walked in and gave him a smile. "How do you like here so far?" she asked him.

Harry frowned slightly. "It's better than the orphanage, but I've only been here for a day." He admitted.

"No worries Harry. It's time for bed. Tomorrow is a busy day." Diana told him.

Diana gave him a hug before he jumped into the bed. Sitting on the side, she tucked him in. Moving over to the door, she smiled.

"Good night Harry, sweet dreams." She whispered, before turning off the lights.

~Time skip~

_He was surrounded by debris; flames were licking at the ruins of a house. He cried, hoping his parents would hear. A big shadow blocked his vision and he was picked up by strong arms. The pain in his head increased, the wailing of the creature giving him a headache. At some point, he became unconscious. The pain was too overwhelming. _

"AHHH!" Harry screamed, waking up in a cold sweat. He was having THAT dream again. On the edge of the body, Hermione watched him, worry etched on her face.

"Harry? Are you okay?" she asked him. Hermione pulled the covers over her and gave Harry a hug. He believed she chased the evil away, for he dreamed no more that night. They fell asleep in the embrace and slept peacefully that night. Tomorrow would dawn bright and early. The hearing at court and shopping in London made it a busy day.

A glow bathed the children, unnoticed by anyone except for one old man. The bond was slowly growing and their fate set…

Hope you like it so far. Thanks for the tip, I rated it T now. I'd also like to know how to make an author's note. Since the line between I made does not show up once I update the chapter. The plan for the next chapter is already done. I still need to do my homework and vacuum. Still unsure what should happen to the Weasleys…


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